Karen Dreyfus enjoys a wide-ranging career as a noted soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician and as a pedagogue. She has performed extensively in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and South America, and has toured with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Musicians from Marlboro, and the New York Philharmonic. Her numerous honors include prizes at the Naumburg, Lionel Tertis, Washington International, and the Hudson Valley competitions. Along with her work in the classical music field, Dreyfus has performed on many film scores, pop, jazz, and rock recordings.

The recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Solo Recitalist Award, Ms. Dreyfus has recorded many CDs as a soloist and chamber musician. Her premiere recording with Bridge Records, Romanze, met with considerable critical acclaim. She has recorded William Walton’s Viola Concerto, Mozart’s “Sinfonia Concertante”, as well as solo works by American composers. Such composers as Ezra Laderman, Jon Deak, George Tsontakis, Paul Chihara, William Thomas McKinley, Elizabeth Brown, and others have written works expressly for her. Dreyfus has toured with jazz pianist/composer Chick Corea and recorded a Grammy- nominated work entitled “Lyric Suite for Sextet.”

In 2014 Ms. Dreyfus was invited to teach on the faculty of the USC Thornton School of Music where she continues to teach viola, chamber music, and orchestral studies. Dreyfus has taught on the faculties of The Juilliard School, Mannes School along with the Manhattan School of Music where she was honored with an Emerita Award in 2022 after more than 30 years on faculty. Many of Karen Dreyfus’ students have gone on to win positions in orchestras, teach on university faculties, as well as play in chamber ensembles.

Karen Dreyfus is a founding member of the Lyric Piano Quartet and the Amerigo Trio.

She has been a Music Academy teaching artist since 2014.

Pianist Conor Hanick is regarded as one of his generation’s most inquisitive interpreters of music new and old. A fierce advocate for the music of today, Hanick has premiered over 200 pieces and collaborated with composers ranging from Pierre Boulez, Kaija Saariaho, and Steve Reich, to the leading artists of his generation. He has performed with many of America's preeminent conductors and ensembles and in 2023 premiered Samuel Carl Adams' No Such Spring with Esa-Pekka Salonen and the San Francisco Symphony. This season, Hanick presents solo and chamber recitals in the US and Europe, including concerts at The Wallis, Hancher Auditorium, Cal Performances, Segerstrom Center, Stanford Live, Guild Hall, Musikverein, and elsewhere. He appears with the Phoenix and Alabama Symphonies in works by Stravinsky, Gershwin, and a new piano concerto by Carlos Izcaray, one of a handful of premieres this year that also includes pieces by Matthew Aucoin, Nico Muhly, Tania León, and Mathew Rosenblum. A committed collaborative player, Hanick joins Julia Bullock, Seth Parker Woods, Timo Andres, the JACK Quartet, and AMOC* (The American Modern Opera Company) in projects ranging from a US tour of HARAWI to performances of Sufjan Stevens’ two piano ballet Reflections. Hanick teaches at the CUNY Graduate Center, Mannes College, Music Academy of the West, and The Juilliard School.

ANTHONY CHAN ('24) 26, born in Sydney, New South Wales, earned his master's degree at The Juilliard School, studying with Ronald Copes and Daniel Phillips. He won the 2025 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and has performed with the Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth, Schiermonnikoog Festival, and Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

ROGER SHAO 24, born in Fuzhou, China, has completed his master's degree at The Juilliard School, studying with Daniel Phillips, Masao Kawasaki, and Ann Setzer. He won second prize at the 2017 Hong Kong International Violin Competition. Roger has performed with the Chamber Music Society Fort Worth and at the Schiermonnikoog Festival in The Netherlands.

BRIAN JENNINGS 24, born in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, completed his master's degree at The Juilliard School, studying with Misha Amory and Heidi Castleman. He won the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition in 2025, performs with the Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth Ensemble, and is a member of the Prometheus String Quartet.

WILSON VANDERSLICE 24, born in Little Rock, Arkansas, received his master's degree at The Juilliard School, studying with Astrid Schween and Clara Kim. Wilson received Second Prize in the Eastman Cello Concerto Competition in 2022 and First Prize in the Eastman Elliott Carter Figment Cello Competition in 2021. He is a member of the Prometheus Quartet.

CHIEH-AN YU 27, born in Taipei, Taiwan, is currently earning his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Stony Brook University, studying with Jennifer Frautschi. He has appeared with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra and New Manhattan Sinfonietta, and in Taiwan with the Taiwan City Symphony Orchestra, Apex Symphony, and Counterpoint Chamber Ensemble.

ARIUN-ENEREL GANTUMUR 20, born in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, is earning her bachelor's degree at Eastman School of Music, studying with Steven Doane and Rosemary Elliott. She took first place in the 2023 Washington State Regional Solo and Ensemble Contest. She has served as Principal in the Eastman School Symphony Orchestra.

GLORIA LEE 23, born in Teaneck, New Jersey, is earning her master's degree at The Juilliard School, studying with Timothy Eddy and Zvi Plesser. She is a member of the Juilliard Orchestra, was Principal Cellist for the Peabody Symphony Orchestra, and is a recipient of both the Juilliard and the Morse and Elliott Scholarships.

KEVIN FINK ('24) 24, born in Sleepy Hollow, New York, is earning his master's degree at Rice University Shepherd School of Music, studying with Timothy Pitts. The returning Music Academy alum served as Principal Bass in Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2 with the Shepherd School Symphony Orchestra, and is a substitute bass with the Houston Symphony.

ELIZABETH KLEIBER 24, born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has recently completed her master's degree at Rice University Shepherd School of Music, where she studied with Marianne Gedigian. She won First Place at the 42nd James Pappoutsakis Flute Competition in Boston, Massachusetts, in 2022.

ZOE LYN O'SHAUGHNESSY 22, born in Munster, Indiana, is earning her master's degree at USC Thornton School of Music, studying with JoAnn Turovsky. She was a grand finalist for the 2022 Anne Adams Award and a finalist in the 2023 Lewisville Lake Symphony Competition. She is Principal Harpist with Las Colinas Symphony Orchestra.

CAMERON AKIOKA 25, born in Los Angeles, California, is earning her Doctor of Musical Arts at Northwestern University, studying with James Giles. She won the 2025 Musicians Club of Women Competition: Senior Division Gold Medal and the 2022 Seattle International Piano Competition: Silver Medal. She recently performed as soloist with the Downey Symphony.

TONY STAUFFER ('24) 28, born in Orthez, France, has recently completed his degree at the University of Montreal, studying with Francis Perron and Liz Upchurch. He has performed in vocal recitals at the University of Montreal and McGill University, and will join the Opéra de Montréal's Young Artist Program as a répétiteur and vocal coach this August.